Tuesday, November 22, 2011

De Faino

Jon Faine. I remember him from years ago on ABC tv, and on ABC Melbourne in the afternoon. I remember him from RN's Law Report. A couple of years ago I sent him an email, and busy as he is, he responded.

Now he is being described as a veteran broadcaster, in his 8.30 to midday radio timeslot, and I suppose he is.

Other ABC radio morning broadcasters only seem to last until 11 am, yet Faine goes on until noon.

I know nothing about radio broadcasting, but I expect talking and thinking on your feet for three and a half hours, five days a week, is a quite intense experience and one that you could easily burn out from, never mind the off air time for researching. Yet Faine just goes on and on year after year. Please Jon, knock off the last hour. Much less reading and life will be better for you. No one else does does 3.5 hours and I don't want you to burn out.

But I do worry about who might replace him should he burn out. Oft time Late Line presenter Ali Moore did a fine job when de Faino swaned around the world, from Melbourne to London by car (just finished reading his book). There is a lot to like about Waleed Aly when he stands in on radio. As hot and sexy as I think Waleed is, the latest replacement for de Faino's absence is a clear winner. I could get to like Raphael Epstein.

Between when I wrote the above and now, Epstein has been hired to present the drive time show, 3 to 6pm.

I looooove Waleed heh! Faine's last hour isn't too difficult for him, the convo hour is mostly laid back.I don't mind Raf Epstein, however he tends to interrupt people or talk over the top. I'm kinda glad Lindy is moving to Derek's old slot, no one could ever replace him but she's okay. That said I've sort of enjoyed Dave O'Neil's laid back style!

It will be diffiuclt to find a successor to Jon Faine. Did you catch poor Stephen Mayne when he filled in for a week a couple of years ago? He really struggled to keep on top of everything: there's so much that Jon must be manging: watching the clock, receiveing messages from his producers, keeping track of names/dates/details etc all while interviewing someone with waht sounds like full attention.

I like Waleed, but think he makes a better guest/expert than a host - his attempts to be a tough and provocative interviewer come accross as abrasive. However, it appears that Jon thinks highly of him and is grooming him to take over. I agree Raphael Epstein does a pretty good job. Another contender is Libbi Gore - she has filled in on various timeslots on 774. I'm particulrly impressed with her intelligent and personable manner - She manages to balance asking tough questions without comeing accross as arrogant and argumentative.

I remember Maybe filling in Altissima. He was ok, quite good really, but it was clearly taking its toll. Waleed has improved muchly since his original stint, but yes, not quite there yet. I find his voice a bit flat, although that too has improved. Libbi was a surprise to me too. She was excellent. While I doubt she would come back, Tonya Roberts did a fine job with heavier interviews in the time she filled in.

My public diary, not my private one. I live in a highrise apartment building in inner Melbourne. My interests are varied but top of the list are old buildings, history and public transport. You will find plenty of personal experiences to read in my blog too. Just be aware I am not an historian, amateur or otherwise. While I make some effort to be accurate, I don't do proper methodical research so I advise you check all details on your own behalf should you wish to quote me. Your comments are very welcome, but try to be nice to my fragile yet overblown ego. I enjoy receiving email. You can find my eddress in my complete profile.